The University of Maryland Medical System is committed to deepening our partnerships with Maryland schools of nursing through innovative strategies to educate and recruit new graduate nurses.

We believe this work will support hospital staffing and enable the growth of the nursing workforce, ultimately benefitting our patients and community. We'll use this space to keep our academic partners, community, and team members up to date with our efforts.


Where have all the nurses gone? And how do hospitals get them back? – Cleveland.com (September 22, 2022)

A large fraction of the nursing workforce quietly disappeared post-COVID-19, leaving hospitals and clinics understaffed, and creating an even greater burden on the nurses that remained. On the other side of the equation is a bottleneck in the pipeline of nursing students prepared to replace them. Lisa Rowen, chief nurse executive for UMMS, explains how the UMMS Academy of Clinical Essentials enables nursing schools to graduate more nurses by providing clinical instruction to Maryland schools of nursing – free of charge.


UMMS ACE: A fix for the nursing shortage? – WYPR On The Record (September 20, 2022)

A nursing shortage still grips U.S. health care. How can the profession onboard students faster while making sure they grasp all they need to know about patient care? Lisa Rowen, chief nurse executive for UMMS, speaks to Sheilah Kast of WYPR about how the UMMS Academy of Clinical Essentials will begin to address that challenge. Liz Cushing, ACE Clinical Instructor in the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and Naseem Ahmadi, student nurse at UM St. Joseph Medical Center, explain why more hours of hands-on instruction better prepare new nurses for what they'll face.


Training the next generation of nurses with Lisa Rowen – Baltimore Jewish Times (September 14, 2022)

In recent years, the number of available nurses has been on the decline. By the end of the 2022, the American Nurses Association says there will be a need for more than 3.4 million nurses in the medical field. One of the other largest contributing factors to this shortage is the lack of clinical sites to work in and instructors available to teach students interested in entering nursing school. Dr. Lisa Rowen, chief nurse executive for UMMS, speaks to Baltimore Jewish Times about how the organization aims to address this challenge through the Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE) program.


U of Maryland Medical System debuts nursing program that puts students at patients' bedside – Becker's Hospital Review (September 8, 2022)

Becker's Hospital Review recognizes UMMS for launching the Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE) in fall 2022.


University of Maryland Medical System is welcoming first class of nursing students under new hands-on program – The Aegis (September 6, 2022)
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UMMS has begun its first full class of nursing students in the Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE) program that puts nursing students at the bedside under the supervision of an experienced nurse. Both of the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health hospitals in Harford County will be receiving nursing students from the ACE program this fall.


University of Maryland Medical System Welcomes ACE Initiative Inaugural Class – Daily Nurse (September 5, 2022)

DailyNurse recognizes UMMS for launching the Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE), including photos of an ACE cohort in action at the University of Maryland Medical Center Downtown Campus, an academic medical center and the flagship institution of the 12-hospital University of Maryland Medical System.


Nursing students are an untapped resource. Schools in this state are putting them to work – LinkedIn (September 1, 2022)

As the nursing profession faces a critical nursing shortage, nursing schools aren't graduating enough students to fill the gap. It's not for lack of interest. Enrollment actually increased during the pandemic, but schools still turned away tens of thousands of applicants. Dr. Lisa Rowen, chief nurse executive for UMMS, spoke with LinkedIn News to discuss how the UMMS Academy of Clinical Essentials provides more clinical sites and instructors for nursing students, enabling schools of nursing to admit more qualified applicants.


University of Maryland Medical System Welcomes Inaugural Full Class for Nursing Academy of Clinical Essentials (August 23, 2022)

Following a successful pilot of its innovative Academy of Clinical Essentials (ACE) program which puts a cohort of nursing students at the bedside under instruction of an experienced hospital-based nurse, the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is preparing to welcome its first full class of nursing students as the initiative expands to more locations across Maryland.


A Silver Lining – Nursing For UM (June 15, 2022)

Dr. Lisa Rowen, chief nurse executive for UMMS, describes how the pandemic has served as a powerful catalyst for innovation in health care. Dr. Rowen describes how UMMS aims to bolster the current and future nursing workforce through the Academy of Clinical Essentials, an innovative clinical education and care delivery model.


University of Maryland School of Nursing – State of the School 2022 (May 2022)

Jane M. Kirschling, Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), marked the beginning of a new school year with an inspiring theme of Innovation and Discovery. As part of her presentation, Dean Kirschling invited Dr. Lisa Rowen, chief nurse executive for UMMS, to discuss how the Academy of Clinical Essentials exemplifies the strong academic-practice partnership between UMSON and UMMS.